Would you re-sign Pau for ~7 million per?

^^Pau and "going to the cup" have been separated by about 20 months now.... He continually gets the ball in the paint in mismatches and either passes it out to MWP at the 3 point line or to Hill.... That goes against the high BBIQ that he's supposed to possess. Pau from 6 feet with a 6'4" guard on him in a switch shooting the ball or taking it to the hoop is SMART.... passing to anyone other than Kobe away from the hoop or Howard toward the hoop IS NOT SMART. Yet he does it game after game.... When he does decide to take shots in the post they are always moving away from the hoop.

"If the past sits in judgment on the present, the future will be lost." Winston Churchill

“The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded."Dwight Eisenhower

"Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it"Thomas Sowell

^True... I find it very odd that Gasol just does not WANT to take the shot anymore. Every season, that was a complaint about Odom. Too unselfish... Too deferring... Now it is about Gasol who looks neutered on the offensive end. He's sliding [or has slid] down the hierarchy. No "attack" mode within him circa 2008-2010.

“Look, we don’t get five championships by being sympathetic towards each other and kissing each other’s a– during the game,” Bryant said Wednesday when asked about the Lakers’ upcoming game against the Thunder next week. “I’m going to demolish him. He understands that. If he switches off on me in the post, there’s going to be problems. I’m sure he’ll put an elbow right in my back, and that’s why we love each other.”

The rebound and put-back was something that we dont see from him much these days. And the pass to Dwight was really nice.Still extremely stiff on defense but that isnt going to change unless he loses a couple inches in height and a few years of age.

Pau just needs to play harder, with more effort and passion. He started out knocking everything down, that was nice to see. But he got schooled by Scola late, and punked by Gortat who just took the ball from him and pushed him away like nothing, gotta fight harder.

Vasashi17 wrote:What exactly did Pau do wrong in this game? I'm really perplexed.

He easily had 10 points in the first quarter, just 6 in the next 3. He got lost, outworked and just beat on D on multiple occations.. His help D is still awful, Stu was actually talking about Howard being mad when he rotates to the guy driving and Pau doesn't cover Dwight's man.. Better night % wise (5 for his first 5 shots) but still same old soft & lazy Pau after that 1st quarter.

"The first time I ever saw my uniform hanging in the locker I put it on right away, and it just felt like I was putting on golden armour. From that day forward, I just called it 'the golden armour', it just felt like there was something mystical and magical about it" - Kobe Bryant.

^^^The Suns were looking to shut down dribble penetration in our early PnR sets and Pau made them pay. They adjusted there after. I don't think Pau really needs to force anything. Just do what the defense gives you.

Also people need to understand that we are an older team. We went at a helter skelter pace in the first half and you noticed that Howard and Pau were both trying to catch their breath.

That's why you got to play like that in pulses. Bigs just can't play that way...which is why Kareem deserves that statue cause at an old age, he ran with that Showtime group.

Vasashi17 wrote:^^^The Suns were looking to shut down dribble penetration in our early PnR sets and Pau made them pay. They adjusted there after. I don't think Pau really needs to force anything. Just do what the defense gives you.

Also people need to understand that we are an older team. We went at a helter skelter pace in the first half and you noticed that Howard and Pau were both trying to catch their breath.

That's why you got to play like that in pulses. Bigs just can't play that way...which is why Kareem deserves that statue cause at an old age, he ran with that Showtime group.

Pau got a double double leading to a win...I'm happy with that.

If Pau being a ghost on D and not a threat on O (after that 1st Q) is because he was tired, then he's been tired the whole season.

His D was the biggest problem, again. P&R D, help D, just atrocious. Watch Howard's reactions, he tries not to but he shows a lot of frustration when he rotates over to contest a shot and Pau doesn't cover his man.

On O he's just not agressive enough. He chooses to take soft little turnaround fadeaway Js instead of backing his defender down and using his low post moves to get an easy shot. The guy is 7 feet tall and has a very complete skillset and he's shooting FORTY PERCENT. And it's because he's hesitating (he wasn't in the 1st quarter, and that made a huge difference), looking to pass first, choosing to take ill-adviced shots instead of attacking the rim and playing in the paint, etc.

I'm happy with the W, but it wasn't because of Pau, at all. His double double means little if he was ghostly on D and after the 1st Q the same on O.

"The first time I ever saw my uniform hanging in the locker I put it on right away, and it just felt like I was putting on golden armour. From that day forward, I just called it 'the golden armour', it just felt like there was something mystical and magical about it" - Kobe Bryant.

I saw it completely different Finwe. Even D'Antoni said that players shouldn't force anything. Just play like themselves and everything should be fine.

Pau is a finesse guy and you want him to be aggressive, but not force the issue. He took what the defense gave us and then Gentry made the necessary adjustments.

At this stage of his career, he's played alot of basketball for a big man and we all know that big men break down much faster than guards. Pau is definitely on his last legs. His defensive rotations are very poor, but I attribute that to seasoned wheels. He just has to use his length now to disrupt shots cause his vertical can barely clear a basketball.

I don't see his defense really improving. Unfortunately, he can't rotate fast enough and can't get off the floor. He just has to plant himself, be strong, play good man D and get his hands up to disrupt shots. He's in his twilight and that's why I think LA will definitely get out of his contract if an opportunity presents itself.

I didn't like his effort after the 1st quarter, but I was just looking at Pau's stats and he averages 37.4 minutes a game. I'm not saying this is the only reason for his lackluster effort but fatigue might be hindering Pau. Maybe if his minutes were lowered to about 35 per game we could get a more consistent effort out of him on a nightly basis. After all, he's 32 and not getting any younger.

With Hill's motor, he wouldn't mind getting some extra minutes and/or Jamison as well since he's been improving and shaking off some of the rust.

Chatter about a Pau Gasol-to-Atlanta simply won't go away. It won't go away mostly because my ESPN colleague Bill Simmons, after hearing Magic Johnson suggest it on the set of "NBA Countdown," keeps throwing it out there like he did in this week's "BS Report" podcast with former Suns general manager Steve Kerr.

Only one problem.

Sources say that the Hawks, at present, have no interest in parting with Josh Smith and Kyle Korver for Gasol. Or even Smith and lesser parts for Gasol.

Positions can obviously change between now and the Feb. 21 trade deadline, but sources maintain that Atlanta has not been enticed in the least by the prospect of parting with the 26-year-old Smith -- even as he heads into unrestricted free agency -- for the 32-year-old Gasol. The Hawks, for the record, have also been telling interested teams that they value Smith and what he offers as a hybrid forward in an Eastern Conference that's generally been getting smaller.

It's undeniably true that the Lakers, if they're missing anything to make Mike D'Antoni's offense flow, could use an extra shooter or two to float to the corners. It's likewise true, sources said, that the Lakers have had internal discussions for months about pursuing Smith, not only for his athletic gifts but also knowing that J-Smoove is one of free agent-to-be Dwight Howard's closest friends in the game. But if that's really who L.A. wants, there will have to be another team or two recruited into the deal to satisfy Atlanta's demands.

Also: The Lakers surely want to take a break from big moves for a while if they can. Just since July they've traded for Steve Nash and Dwight Howard, fired Mike Brown after five games and hired D'Antoni after flirting first with Phil Jackson. Sure seems like it's time to ride with what you've got at this point apart from scouring the free-agent marketplace for a bargain shooter like, say, Mickael Pietrus. Or, better yet, Raja Bell if Utah ever consents to buy Bell out.

I would hate to remove whatever continuity/chemistry is left from the 09 and 10 titles but Pau is not giving enough reasons to just let him stay a Laker. Hes due $20 mil next year. ATL may not want him but just like the Howard trade Mitch might find a 3rd or 4th team to make it work and get his man

Right now Pau's subpar offense is not hurting us because we're winning but hes gotta contribute more

Sure seems like it's time to ride with what you've got at this point apart from scouring the free-agent marketplace for a bargain shooter like, say, Mickael Pietrus. Or, better yet, Raja Bell if Utah ever consents to buy Bell out.

I'd rather have Pietrus before Bell.... and it's not even close for me

He obviously had a good game offensively but his D is just embarrassing to watch. And please don't show me stats to prove otherwise. All you gotta do is watch him play D. That play with 3 seconds left on the shot clock and he let Scola blow by him like James Worthy

He's had a few good moments here and there defensively but for the most part its been all bad. Perhaps if he jumped higher than 2 inches when contesting a shot it might help.

Trading Pau for a guy with the BBall IQ of around 10 will be just about as dumb as choosing Pringles over Phil.

So I wouldn't put it past this front office. They sabotaged Pau all of last season too with the neverending trade rumors, even to the point where Kobe had to speak up for Pau. Why Magic perpetuated that rumor in the first place, I don't know.

kray28 wrote:Trading Pau for a guy with the BBall IQ of around 10 will be just about as dumb as choosing Pringles over Phil.

So I wouldn't put it past this front office. They sabotaged Pau all of last season too with the neverending trade rumors, even to the point where Kobe had to speak up for Pau. Why Magic perpetuated that rumor in the first place, I don't know.

I've had it up to here with the Pau bashing though...

Well I'll trust you on anything "bashing".... as you are the most qualified here to make that determination.

I would like to have your take on Pau's value in terms of his play and his salary. Are you in the camp that his performance on defense is passing that test? IMO he has lost more than a step and is causing some real issues on the defensive end... I've been saying this for a while now and it seems that it has become obvious to most of us... now that we are an "up-tempo" team is he the right PF in your opinion to run the floor both ways.....

As for Smith.... Hell no and a bunch of things I can't write here to getting him. If this team is trading Pau it needs to be for multiple players and a real SF IMO. We can get by with a defensive minded rebounder at the PF if we can get a real SF that can create for himself, shoot the 3 and run the floor... If we could get a real prospect as well that would be great.

"If the past sits in judgment on the present, the future will be lost." Winston Churchill

“The prospect of domination of the nation's scholars by Federal employment, project allocations, and the power of money is ever present - and is gravely to be regarded."Dwight Eisenhower

"Socialism in general has a record of failure so blatant that only an intellectual could ignore or evade it"Thomas Sowell